Frank Beafore, executive director at SelectTech Geospatial, in Springfield holds a EP-3000 drone. The Air Force Material Command at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base spent more than $13.9 million with his firm during fiscal year 2016. JEFF GUERINI/STAFF

“Without these kind of raw materials, I don’t know how we can do some of the things we do,” he added. “If we ever got cut off from that source (of vehicles and parts), I think we’d really be in really serious trouble.”

“I’m here to tell you that I think some of the best motors on unmanned aircraft come out of China,” he said. “I know of only one American manufacturer, that’s Neu Motors out in California.”

“We’re having problems sourcing, as well,” Beafore added.

Those searching for automated or software-directed vehicles made in America have only two choices, he said. And those systems can run around $6,000 and up.

There’s no quick way to remedy the situation, he said. Good American companies have to be found and nurtured.

“It’s all about ROI (return on investment),” he said. “It’s not an easy answer. I pick motors. But it’s a lot broader than that. Think about batteries, the lithium-ion batteries in your phone. The largest manufacturer of lithium-ion batteries is again, China.”

The U.S. market is growing, however. There are about 110,000 commercial UAVs flying in the U.S. today and there are expected to be around 600,000 early in the 2020s, said Tim Sweeney, JobsOhio director of advanced manufacturing, aerospace and aviation, citing Federal Aviation Administration numbers.